Thinner
by lumisakom
Summary: With a fanclub as large as Natsume Hyuuga's, you'd think it would be near impossible to keep your ego in check. But the longer he stood in front of that mirror, deeply scrutinising every single flaw and imperfection, the harder he found it to understand why he had a fanclub at all. (anorexic!Natsume, mild NxM)
1. Prologue :: Unnerving Behaviour

_**IMPORTANT A/N:**_

**I'm sorry but I ended up starting a new story, OTL.**

**It takes place in middle school, so all the characters are fourteen. And I apologise for any OOC-ness throughout the story.**

**Also, _I am in NO WAY pro-ana and STRONGLY discourage it_. That is not the purpose of this story. I've just had the urge to write about anorexia for a while now since I have a somewhat morbid interest in taboo subjects. If you have a problem with reading about anorexia for one reason or another then by all means click the back button now, because this _might get quite triggering_.**

* * *

**PROLOGUE :: **_**Unnerving Behaviour**_

* * *

"Hey," Ruka called from across the hall. He jogged over to his best friend currently lying spread-eagled on the stage.

Natsume spared a glance in his direction. "Yo."

"Uh... Natsume?" Ruka asked, one eyebrow raised uncertainly, as he stood over the black-haired teen. "... What are you doing?"

Natsume shifted slightly. "Thinking."

"... Right."

All of a sudden, Natsume jerked up into a sitting position as if having woken from a nightmare. "Damn," he muttered irritably.

"U-um-"

Natsume shook his head slightly at the startled blonde as he slowly stood up. "Don't worry, Ruka. It's nothing."

_As much as you say that, Natsume... _Ruka thought to himself as he watched Natsume's figure, hunched in thought, exit the gym hall. _I know there's something you're not telling me._

* * *

The same worries plagued Ruka's mind the next morning as the boys strolled towards their classroom ten minutes late.

"Natsume..." he began, and the serious tone to his voice immediately set Natsume on edge.

Natsume sighed. "Look, Ruka, if this is about yesterday night-"

"I just want to know what was going on. You were acting seriously weird." Ruka pursed his lips. "You still are, in fact. You've barely said anything to me all morning."

At that moment, a group of elementary school girls sidled past, giggling and whispering amongst themselves and shooting the pair meaningful looks as they passed.

Natsume's attention didn't leave them until they were out of sight - he could feel himself almost physically shrinking into himself from the unwanted attention.

Ruka noticed, of course. He almost mentioned it, but decided it might be best to leave whatever was troubling Natsume be for the moment. His best friend was obviously not in a conversational mood, and nagging him about it would likely lead to being snapped at.

They spent the rest of the journey to homeroom in a silence bordering on awkward, and the fact that Natsume almost shut the classroom door in Ruka's face (whether purposely or not, Ruka wasn't sure) both irritated and frightened the blonde to no end.

* * *

_Splash!_

Natsume shivered as the icy water trickled down his chin and neck.

_What's wrong with me?_ he asked himself as he once again drenched himself with chilly tap water. Natsume paused, slowly blinking the water out of his eyes as his vision cleared up.

The fourteen-year-old face that was reflected back at him from the bathroom mirror was frowning, and to a trained eye such as Natsume's, many emotions could be seen in the depths of those crimson eyes, flickering back and forth like an old movie reel. The frown deepened and the short eyebrows furrowed in mild displeasure at the sight. _Honestly, I really don't know why I have an fanclub at all. Ruka's much more good-looking than me, and has the princely attitude to boot. _Natsume let out a weak chuckle at the thought of his best friend as a prince.

However, the smirk quickly dissipated as his attention was once again drawn to the plain face in the mirror. _Yeah, I'm just your average asshole with pasty skin, a crooked nose and freakish red eyes. It's Ruka who's every girl's ideal prince charming, not me._

_Not me._


	2. One :: Put Those Magazines Away

**The first chapter. It's a bit short, but hopefully future chapters will be longer.**

**I don't even have spellcheck anymore since I'm on WordPad, so ****I'm really sorry if there are loads of mistakes (which there probably are since I never proofread anything).**

**Disclaimer~**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE :: **_**Put Those Magazines Away**_

* * *

Natsume's ears were greeted by buzzing white noise in the form of one Sumire Shouda as he entered the classroom, much to his annoyance.

"Natsume-kun, Natsume-kun! Are you going to my birthday party sleepover tomorrow?" she asked excitedly.

Natsume shrugged, not pausing to even considering the thought as he strode towards his seat. "Why would I want to go to a girly sleepover?"

Sumire might've looked a little hurt for a brief moment, but she quickly recovered, scurrying like a small animal - _rodent_, Natsume thought cruelly - to his table as he flopped down. "You won't be the only boy there. Mochu's going, and Koko, and Kitsuneme, and Tobita, and Ruka-kun too-"

"Ruka's going?"

Sumire grinned. She'd hit the bullseye.

"Where am I going?" said boy asked from the doorway.

"To my birthday sleepover tomorrow night!" Sumire giggled.

Ruka looked uncertain and more than a little confused. "Uh..."

"Don't worry, Natsume-kun's going too."

Before Natsume could protest against having ever giving her the thumbs up, Ruka shrugged genially, giving a small smile that led to a resounding chorus of '_Awwhh, Ruka-kun_' throughout the room. "All right then, I don't see why not."

Natsume was almost gaping as Ruka joined him, chuckling at Natsume's aghast expression. "Don't look too put out there, Natsume. I for one wouldn't want to experience Shouda-san's wrath."

Natsume grunted, turning away to look out of the window.

"Besides, Natsume, you never know; it might be fun."

* * *

"_Kyaaaa~!_ Jessica looks so pretty!"

Natsume sighed, further burying his face in the pillow. The girls' screams and screeches of admiration of _how cute this person was_ or _how hot that person was_ were really starting to grate on his nerves.

"Can someone _please_ take those magazines away from those girls before I have to _set them alight_," Natsume growled, though it was muffled by the pillow.

"Did you say something, Natsume-san?" Mochiage asked casually through a mouth full of popcorn.

Natsume punched the mattress. "No," he grumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position on the double-star bed.

The boys all winced and there was a chorus of "_Ouch_," as the protagonist of the movie they were watching drove his car off a cliff in a desperate attempt to evade the trigger-happy antagonists.

Natsume slouched on the bed facing the screen, behind the teens clustering around it on the floor. His large scarlet irises were glued to the screen as they followed every movement, every gunshot, every yell.

But he wasn't _watching _it.

If someone asked him about the action sequence that had just occured, he wouldn't know what to say. He was too busy wishing he was somewhere else to actually enjoy himself.

"You look like you're about to murder someone," Ruka joked lightly from beside him, causing Natsume to flinch.

"Jesus, Ruka, don't sneak up on me like that."

Ruka grinned, punching Natsume playfully on the shoulder, before he settled down to join the movie-watching.

"_Oh wow_, look at Natalie! Hasn't she lost so much weight?" Sumire cried loudly from the other side of the bed. "She looks so much better now."

"Mm-hm!" Anna and Nonoko chorused. "Not that she looked _bad_ before, but she does look nicer now," Nonoko added.

They flipped the page, and the girls all sighed in sync.

"Oh, just look at him!" Sumire squealed. "You just can't deny that he's perfection."

"Look at that lean stomach!"

"Oh my, and his lovely hair!"

Natsume was trying his best to concentrate on the fight scenes in front of him, he truly was. But unfortunately, he couldn't quite block out the rampant hormones behind him.

He lifted a hand to awkwardly feel his hair and instantly regretted not washing it that morning. It was tangly and messy and probably looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge backward. _Damn._

"Be careful, Natsume," Ruka playfully chuckled, snapping Natsume out of his reverie. "They might find someone they find more attractive than you."

Natsume gave a weak laugh, whapping Ruka on the thigh. "Shut up. You're at risk too, you know."

To this Ruka laughed lightly. His attention was once again drawn to the small TV screen, but Natsume couldn't help but let his concentration on the film drift.

"It would be nice to be that pretty, wouldn't it?" Anna mused aloud.

"Yeah, I wish."

"I'm actually on a new diet at the moment," Sumire stated proudly.

The girls' eyes widened in astonishment. "Really? That's so cool."

"Why though? You're already really skinny, Permy," Mikan piped up suddenly. The girls turned in surprise - until now, Mikan and Hotaru had been busy testing the Ice Queen's new invention - a large box that can produce any food they desired at minimal cost - and hadn't paid a drop of attention to the girly conversation.

"Obviously someone like you wouldn't know about dieting-"

"_Are you calling me fat_-"

"-so I'll explain it to you. There's no point going on a diet if you just return to your old habits as soon as you lose the desired amount of weight, because then you'll just put the weight back on again. In order for a diet to actually work, you've got to change your lifestyle long-term," Sumire said knowledgeably.

Natsume twitched. _Permy may not be the most stunning girl in the school, but she's reasonably pretty and has a nice figure. I don't see why she feels she needs to diet. _He turned slightly so she was in his peripherals and upon closer inspection, she seemed thinner than he last remembered. Natsume's eyes unconsciously narrowed slightly as he continued to stare, unnoticed. _Damn, so thin..._

"Natsume?" Ruka murmured quietly, so as not to attract attention. There was a noticeable hint of surprise in his tone as he asked, "Why are you staring at Shouda-san?"

Natsume started. "Uh, I'm gonna take a bathroom break. I'll be back in a minute." He dropped lithely off the bed and quickly made for the door before Ruka could object.

As soon as the door was shut behind him, he inhaled deeply, allowing his eyes to droop shut at the sudden quiet. He felt every muscle in his body gradually unwind and sigh with relief at the utter relaxation of being alone. He shoved his hands into his pockets on the short walk to the communal bathroom, hoping to himself that no one would see him and ask him why he was in the girls' dorm's bathroom at night.

To be perfectly honest, he had no need to go to the bathroom at all; it was just beginning to feel quite suffocating in that room. It was Sumire's two-star bedroom so it was a reasonable size, but not for a party of eleven.

As Natsume leaned nonchalantly on the counter, he caught sight of his reflection. He looked worse than he'd thought. His hair was rough and tousled with a slight greasy shine, his lips were dry and cracked and the bags under his sunken eyes were tinged with a deep purple. _Not surprising really_, Natsume scoffed mentally, _considering how little sleep I've had recently._

Natsume let out a silent whisper of a groan. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be curled up in his bed. He'd had missions from Persona for the past three consecutive nights, and he was in dire need of a good night's sleep to sore his aching muscles.

He glanced back up from the off-white sink and tentatively brought a hand up to his face. He slowly traced his jaw, wincing as his fingers met fleshy resistance. The vainglorious girl's earlier words flashed suddenly through his mind - '_I'm actually on a new diet at the moment_' - and he wondered what exactly her new diet would consist of. Salads? Fruit? Green tea? What exactly were the ideal 'diet foods'?

Whatever they were, Natsume clearly wasn't eating enough of them.

* * *

"Okay everyone, lights out," Koko chimed cheerfully and he flicked the switch without any further warning, startling the occupants of the lilac bedroom into chaos.

"Woah, Koko-"

"Hang on a minute, I need to get changed-"

"_Uwaaaah!_"

"Wait, what just happened?"

"Ouch, that's my foot!"

The raven-haired teen sighed, snuggling further into the tartan sleeping bag he borrowed from Kitsuneme and yanking the zip up to try to block out the noise as much as possible.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before everyone was asleep, but as soon as a still, calm quiet had settled like fine dust over his roommates, Natsume was wide awake, his eyes pinned open by the white noise in his mind. He just couldn't shake the thought of the people in those magazines. Sure, he knew they were probably all photoshopped, but they must've been quite similar to the photos to begin with, right? You can't just photoshop thirty pounds off someone.

The lingering feeling of unease was (unsuccessfully) shaken off, and Natsume rolled onto his side, only to come face-to-face with the object of his unrest. He couldn't resist - fingers that had been twitching to flip a few pages of this magazine finally had a perfect opportunity, and before he knew it, he was lying on his stomach, engrossed in last week's issue of _OK!_ magazine. It was too dim in the semi-darkness to read the text, but the glossy double-page spreads of the Kardashians were crystal clear, and Natsume blinked in surprise when he found himself envying those perfect models. He was utterly confused - why would a _masculine_ boy like him long for a body like that? Golden skin, a radiant smile, slim legs and a flat stomach...

Natsume rolled onto his back, tangling himself in the sleeping bag. He glared at the ceiling in frustration for a few unbearable minutes before hurling the offensive magazine at the ceiling. It didn't quite reach, but the slap of paper as it landed on his chest was enough to wake a certain brunette.

"Ugh... Natsume?" Mikan questioned groggily into the darkness, rubbing her eyes.

"Mm," Natsume hummed in response, cursing himself for waking her up.

"Why are you still awake? It's, like... four a.m," she hoarsely whispered.

"Just thinking."

Mikan flopped back onto Sumire's bed (Hotaru had claimed it earlier that evening), wincing as the mattress loudly protested. "Oh, right."

The silence had suddenly become heavy.

"What about?"

"Huh?" Natsume whispered intelligently.

"What were you thinking about?"

Natsume opened his mouth, about to tell the girl to mind her own business and go back to sleep, but for some reason the harsh words wouldn't come out. Instead, he found himself murmuring, "What would your ideal guy look like?"

There was a thick pause. "Uh... What a weird question," Mikan chuckled self-consciously.

Natsume rolled over, pulling the sleeping bag over his head. "Forget I said anything. Go to sleep." Natsume's muffled voice was sprinkled with anger, though it was more directed at himself for saying something so impulsively than anyone else.

Silence once again reigned over the room, delicately strung through the air like a spider web. Not even the rustle of trees seeped through the open window. Natsume was on the brink of drifting off when Mikan's unexpected whisper penetrated the stale air.

"He'd be kind of tall, with a nice body. Not the muscular type, though. Lean and slim. Maybe just a little effeminate, too, for a gentle edge. I suppose dark hair would be nice, but I'm not that picky. Hmm... he'd also have to have striking looks. Not necessarily perfectly handsome, but a face you could easily remember."

There was a whisper of sheets brushing against each other as Mikan shifted, giggling quietly. "But then again, it's the personality that matters to me more than the looks, so if I met a really nice, kind, funny fat guy with a beard and crooked teeth I wouldn't mind that either."

Natsume didn't reply, but Mikan knew from his uneven breathing that he was still awake and had heard. She thought it better to not wonder why he'd asked such a bizarre question, and put it down to fatigue.

_'A really nice, kind, funny fat guy with a beard and crooked teeth', huh... _Natsume silently mused to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

_Too bad I'm not nice._


	3. Two :: Don't Worry It's Perfectly Normal

**Oooh lookie, an update.**

**I wrote this one at a sleepover with a friend (_HazeTwisterkey_) and after this evening I must thank her for my new obsession with Girls' Generation.**

**God I've been writing so much latelyyy~~**

**Urm, I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit dry.**

**Disclaimer~**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO :: **_**Don't Worry, It's Perfectly Normal**_

* * *

"Aww gosh, I'm still tired from your party last Friday, Sumire-chan," Anna whined, nestling her bubblegum-pink head further into her cradling arms on the desk.

"_Still_?" Sumire huffed out a baffled laugh. "Wow, you must need a lot of sleep," she joked from the seat in front, boredly twirling a strand of shimmering deep green hair around her forefinger as she smirked playfully at the exhausted girl.

"We _were_ up until two a.m, Sumire-chan." Nonoko giggled delicately in place of her near-unconscious friend.

At that moment the looming wooden door was lazily shoved open by a grouchy Natsume, scarlet eyes half-lidded and misted over with fatigue.

A few brave souls turned to stare at the intimidating sight before them, but since most of the class valued their lives the raven-haired teen crossed the classroom largely ignored.

Ruka raised a sympathetic eyebrow as Natsume gracelessly dumped himself into his seat and groaned.

"You look like you're dead on your feet," the animal lover chuckled at his best friend.

A scratchy, raspy snarl tumbled out of Natsume's mouth at the light-hearted joke. "Not in the mood, Ruka."

"Ehh..." Ruka murmured, wondering what could have put the Black Cat in such a vile mood. It surely couldn't have simply been the sleepover, because Natsume was often tired, and yet he was scarcely ever in such a rotten mood, enmity dribbling off his tongue like fiery poison.

"_Hello, my lovely class~!_"

The firecaster would've normally taken that as his cue to leave, but all his limbs weighed him down like lead and it was a constant struggle to simply hold his head upright, so he highly doubted he'd have the energy to make it to the door, let alone out of the building.

Alas, it appeared he'd have to sit through another of that infuriating teacher's lessons.

_Or at least sleep through it._

Just as Natsume had resigned himself to an hour of uncomfortable rest, there was a harsh slam of door against wall as his good mood crashed into the classroom ten minutes late, squawking out a repeated apology like a senseless parrot.

Natsume couldn't resist the smirk as Narumi's cheerful atmosphere dropped a little in temperature.

"Good morning, Mikan-chan," he said meekly.

Mikan was still flailing by the door, appearing not to have heard the blonde's acceptance of her entry to class. "I'm really sorry I'm late Narumi-sensei but my alarm clock broke and then Hotaru tried to wake me up with her chicken alarm but it didn't work and then she left and I had to-"

The words were shooting out of her mouth like a flurry of squeaky bullets, and Narumi could only catch 'sorry', 'Hotaru' and 'chicken'. He sighed inwardly at the brunette's antics and ushered her to her seat with a comforting, "It's okay Mikan-chan, I'm not angry, we hadn't really started anyway..."

A good ten minutes of hushed comfort and tears later, the lilac-eyed teacher was once again beginning the lesson with his sparkly cheeriness. The only difference about this repeat was the sniffing brunette in the far corner.

"So, class, as I was saying before Mikan-chan, er..." Narumi trailed off uncomfortably, his voice a slow decrescendo until it was an incomprehesible mumble. After a brief pause, he cleared his throat too enthusiastically and carried on as if he'd never stopped. "Today, you will miss the first three lessons, because of your monthly physical checkup!"

Every occupant of the classroom - barring Narumi (although he wanted to), Natsume, who seemed to have settled into a short nap sometime during the Mikan incident, and Hotaru, who was consumed in tinkering with a new prototype - groaned disruptively, and conversation about how stupid and pointless the checkups were in the first place erupted in various concentrations.

"At least we miss lessons..." Mochiage grumbled under his breath, huffing irritably as he dropped his chin into his tanned palms.

* * *

"There are four nurses on duty today, so you shouldn't have to wait too long," Narumi stated as he led his class down a beige corridor. "As soon as you're finished, go back to the classroom and wait there for me, okay? Don't linger outside the rooms, and don't get the idea in your heads that it's a free period and go wandering off by yourselves," he said firmly, glaring, eyes narrowed, at a certain crimson-eyed boy, who stubbornly refused to acknowledge him.

Narumi sighed as they reached the main hall. It had been sectioned off by baby-pink curtains into four booths against the far wall, and there were about fifteen chairs scattered haphazardly around the remaining space in what Narumi assumed were supposed to be rows. Most of the chairs were filled by middle and high school students, which had already arrived due to not being held up by a Mikan Incident.

A nurse poked her head out of the first booth and kindly asked the new arrivals, "Who wants to go first?"

"Might as well get it out of the way," Mochiage mumbled to himself, stretching his arms above his head and sighing at the familiar crack.

"Ugh," Sumire exclaimed dramatically. "That's disgusting, Mochu."

Said boy shot an evil grin over his shoulder at the squeamish girl before disappearing behind the curtain.

The class settled into conversation as more kids volunteered. Naru watched over them - the middle school division in particular - with a hawk's eye to make sure they didn't attempt to pull back the curtains while someone was in there, as had happened last year, and the year before that... and the year before that.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like Narumi would have to deal with any incidents today. _What a shame_, he thought playfully. _I almost wish Natsume-kun had misbehaved just to see his face when he wakes up from the pheremones._

But Mikan had been and gone, and the Black Cat had made no perverted move, so Naru sighed silently in relief.

After what must've been roughly twenty minutes, the nurses had all left their booths looking quite impatient at the lack of volunteers. Naru sighed wistfully - now came the hard part. _I'll just call them all up in register order._

He scoured all three registers (the middle and high school's homeroom teachers had abandoned them for a tea break, thinking they'd be mature enough to get on with it on their own) for the first reluctant remnant. "Tsubasa," he called lazily from a chair in the back corner.

A distinct grumble of "_Why me?_" was heard in the small crowd before a scruffy student stood up, shaking his midnight-blue hair out of his eyes and strolled, hands stuffed in pockets, over to an available booth.

Narumi grinned cheerfully, "Register order!" he sang. "Blame your parents, not me."

A few students had automatically volunteered at the realisation, knowing their names would be called out soon anyway and not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to the fact they were still there.

After another half hour, Narumi was left with just seven students: Koko, Hotaru (who, it turns out, had a fear of needles), Natsume (who had simply refused to move), Sumire, Mikan, Anna and Tono.

"Okay... Mikan-chan, you're up next."

Mikan pouted childishly, though she stood anyway.

Narumi set down the register, smiling charmingly at the girl. "It'll be fine, Mikan-chan. I know it's your first checkup, since you've somehow managed to be always unavailable for them until now," there was a hint of suspicion in his tone, "but that just means it's more important that you have this checkup now, right?"

The brunette huffed, but traipsed over to the booth reasonably willingly.

Nonoko chose that moment to stumble out of the adjacent booth, tripping over the nurse's table with a stammered apology and a nervous giggle.

Anna's brow dipped in worry as her attention was drawn to the downcast expression on her best friend's face. "Are you okay, Nonoko-chan?"

Nonoko nodded meekly, flashing Anna a comforting smile. "I'm fine, it's just... the nurse said I should try to avoid gaining any more weight, and if possible, lose a little..." She laughed, though it was clear she was slightly upset.

There was a sympathetic glance shot her way from the remaining girls in the room.

"How much do you weigh, Anna-chan?" the midnight-blue-haired girl asked as she delicately sat down in the adjacent seat. "We're the same height and you're so slim... I could use it as a target weight."

"You're fine as you are, Nonoko-chan..." Anna murmured. The conversation was hushed, but Natsume's feline hearing allowed him to pick it up, and he listened like a hawk to its prey.

Nonoko frowned, and Anna sighed at the disappointed expression. "If you really want to know, I'm 99 pounds. Apparently it's a good weight for our height and age."

"Ehhh?" Nonoko whispered under her breath. "I'm 130..."

Anna patted her on the shoulder gently, before catching a flash of auburn over Nonoko's shoulder. "Hey, Mikan-chan," she called.

Natsume visibly perked up, glancing around the hall hoping to catch sight of her before she left. He wouldn't get another opportunity until lunch break.

Somewhere in the distance, he heard Sumire's name called out.

"Yes, Anna-chan? What is it?" Mikan trotted cheerfully over to the pair, but her carefree stance quickly drooped as soon as she noticed the black clouds hanging limply over the colourful girls. "Nonoko-chan?"

"She was told..." Anna started hesitantly, almost ashamed of spreading the word around so openly, "that maybe she should lose a little weight."

Mikan pouted in sympathy and drew her into a tight hug.

"I was just wondering how much _you_ weigh, Mikan-chan. You know, as a guideline. Even if you are slightly taller than us..."

"Me? I'm..." she paused as she pulled away, her brow furrowing in deep thought as she tried to remember. "That's it, I'm 116 pounds. What about you two?"

"99," Anna gestured to herself, before pointing tentatively to Nonoko, who said quietly, "130."

Mikan mouthed a small 'Oh'. "You don't weigh _that_ much, Nonoko-chan; it's not like you're fat." The auburn-haired teen tried to console her friend. "Look, you take size medium for the school uniform, don't you? You can hardly call that _fat_."

Nonoko was nodding slowly, but it was clear that the consolations weren't working. Suddenly a thought struck Anna like a lightning bolt, and she flinched accordingly, before questioning in a hushed tone, "Nonoko-chan, did someone... Did someone say something to you about your weight?"

Mikan shot an alarmed glance at the young teen, who remained silent, though her gaze had dropped to the hands fiddling restlessly in her lap. She exchanged a glance of confirmation with Anna, and saw the same anger at whoever had dared to say such a thing reflected back at her in those deep cerulean orbs.

"Nonoko-chan," as Anna spoke her voice was uncharacteristically serious. "Who said it?" Nonoko shook her head and made to stand up, but Anna firmly pulled her back into her seat. "You're not leaving until we find out."

"It was... I don't want you to hurt them," Nonoko mumbled, her voice scratchy as if she was on the verge of tears.

"Why the hell not?" Mikan yelled, bristling and shaking with anger. "They deserve to be beaten to a painful, bloody pulp and have their entrails smeared across the hallways for saying something so hurtful to you!"

"Mikan-chan, keep your voice down!" Anna whisper-shouted. Thankfully there were only a few people in the room, all of which were far too used to Mikan's frenzied outbursts to bother paying attention, but she quietened down anyway.

Mikan sighed wearily. "Nonoko-chan, whoever it is, at least tell Anna-chan, because you need to tell someone about this." Mikan promptly gave her a quick hug, waved goodbye and made to leave.

Naturally, she didn't notice how a certain firestarter's burning crimson eyes were quite indiscreetly glued to her form as she strolled gracefully to the door, and how his gaze lingered longingly on the place she could last be seen long after she'd disappeared from view.

Unfortunately for said firestarter, Narumi was far more observant.

"You should tell her~" he sang from much closer than Natsume had thought he was, causing the jet-haired teen to start.

"Tell who what?" Natsume growled.

"It's plainly obvious to everyone who sees you that you're head over heels for her... Well, everyone except the girl herself, that it. She's so dense, it's cute." There was an added girlish giggle for effect that Natsume thought he really could have done without.

Scarlet eyes widened at the accusation, and he glared menacingly at his homeroom teacher as he drawled maliciously, venom dripping off his sharp tongue, "I could _never_ be 'head over heels' for an ugly, annoying, loudmouth idiot like Polka."

Narumi smirked. It was an unnerving sight. "Well, my dear Natsume-kun, I'm pretty sure you just proved that you do..." Narumi shushed Natsume's violent protests with a wave of a hand and a brief but match-winning explanation. He leaned down to whisper evilly into Natsume's ear, "Because guess what, Natsume-kun? I never even mentioned Mikan-chan's name at all."

The furious (and rather embarrassed) teenager's mouth opened in a snarl, ready and prepped to fire back a vicious reply, but it quickly shut again at the infuriating realisation that _Naru was right._

And for once in his life, as the evil teacher named _that damn Naru _sauntered away, Natsume Hyuuga was rendered utterly speechless.

* * *

"Ooh...kay!" the nurse murmured absent-mindedly as she noted down the figures. "You can get dressed now."

Natsume tugged on his shirt, peering over the nurse's shoulder in a hurried attempt to read the diagnosis.

"How am I?" he asked.

"Well you should continue taking that medicine I prescribed you last time, plus these as well, once a day before breakfast," she said professionally, ignoring the scowl marring Natsume's face as she handed him a vial of small orange pills. "Apart from the usual, you seem to be healthy. 174 centimetres tall, and 141 pounds."

Natsume couldn't quite keep the panic out of his voice as he echoed, "141?"

The nurse arched a curious eyebrow at his odd behaviour, but mentioned nothing of it. "It might sound a little heavy compared to your classmates, but that's because you're quite tall for your age, and boys are generally heavier than girls anyway because of their overall larger muscle to fat ratio, and muscle weighs more than fat. You're at a totally normal weight, don't worry."

Natsume pursed his lips as he buckled his belt. "What's the normal weight range then?"

"Taking into account your height, age and gender..." she huffed in consideration, slouching into her seat and crossing two muscular arms. "I'd say, maybe... between 110 and 160 pounds? So really, Natsume-kun, there's no need to worry." She waved him off as he appeared to want to harass her more on the subject, and was forced to practically shove him out of the booth as he was buttoning up his winter sweater.

The only eyes to greet his exit were those of Imai and Naru, so seeing no reason to stay behind - in fact, a very good reason to leave, considering that humiliation of a conversation earlier - he headed straight for the engraved double doors, and down the corridor towards class 2B.

* * *

"What about you, Ruka-kun?" were the first words to grace Natsume's ears upon entry of the familiar classroom.

It appeared that both boys and girls were hounding Ruka on his results, much to his - and Natsume's - dismay.

He flopped down in his seat and tried his very best to ignore the intrusively loud chatter of the classroom, but it seemed fate was just against him today, as at that exact moment, one Sumire 'Permy' Shouda appeared before his eyes, her offensively green hair preventing him from obtaining the rest he so desperately needed.

"Natsume-kun!" she greeted excitedly. "What were your results?"

"I don't understand why everyone is so obsessed with knowing everyone else's height and weight."

"Because it's _interesting_, Natsume-kun! What did you get? _I_ am 160 centimetres tall, and-"

"Shorty."

Sumire looked aghast. "T-That's harsh! I'll have you know, I'm one of the tallest girls in the class..." She sobbed quietly. "It's okay, I love the mean Natsume-kun as well..."

Said boy rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, as I was saying-" _Well didn't she recover quickly_, Natsume scoffed mentally, "-I am 160 centimetres tall and only 89 pounds."

Natsume raised an eyebrow. Hadn't that skinny bubblegum-haired girl earlier mentioned she was 99? _She's noticeably shorter than Permy, and yet she weighs more...?_

"That's right, Natsume-kun!" Permy exclaimed, clearly thinking the raised brow was from being impressed. "I'm the lightest girl in the class!"

"Too bad weighing less than everyone else doesn't suddenly make you more attractive," Hotaru coldly commented from two rows forward.

Permy combusted on the spot, and the rest of the class visibly shrunk in response. "What the hell, Imai-san?"

"Both Mikan and myself weigh considerably more than you do despite our shorter statures, and yet we manage to be prettier than you without even trying."

Unfortunately, the second half of the burning comment was lost on the seaweed-haired girl, as she'd promptly fainted at what would later be called the 'injustice' of it all.

"... T-That was a bit harsh, Imai..." Ruka muttered, slightly concerned for the unconscious crying girl sprawled out on the ground beside his feet.

The Ice Queen simply responded, "It was the truth."

"How much do you weigh, then, Imai?" Kitsuneme asked, grinning, from his place above her head.

"107 pounds," Koko answered for her, which earned him three bullets from the baka gun.

Natsume was beginning to feel really rather uncomfortable. _141, 141, 141, 141..._ It hung, echoing around his head like an inescapable mantra, no matter how much he tried to shake it off.

"What about Mikan-chan?" Kitsuneme asked again, pleased as he realised everyone's results could be known to the infamous duo.

"115 pounds," Koko answered again, the dumb grin still plastered on his face as always.

"And Ruka?" he chuckled, doing a flamboyant somersault over the back row's heads.

"Eh? He's only 117 pounds," Koko laughed. "The same as Mikan-chan."

Natsume could feel his unadulterated stare was making his best friend quite uncomfortable, but he really couldn't help it. Ruka was only slightly shorter than he himself, and yet he weighed over thirty pounds lighter than he did? _Ruka isn't even particularly bony! How the hell does that work_?

As if reading Natsume's mind, the blonde said quietly, "You're taller than I am, Natsume. And stronger, because of the missions. I don't have any muscle on me," he chuckled awkwardly. "Of course you're going to be heavier."

"It's not because you're _heavy_, Hyuuga," Hotaru mentioned off-handedly, catching the pair off-guard. "It's because Nogi is _weedy_."

Ruka flushed furiously, though for what reason Natsume wasn't quite sure. "H-Hey, Imai-"

"Don't deny it. You lost to Mikan in an arm-wrestle."

The blush deepened in colour until it rivaled Natsume's deep scarlet eyes; the same eyes that were now narrowed in thought. "Oi, Mochu," he called out. "What about you?"

Mochiage flashed a boyish grin in his direction, flexing his arm proudly. "Been working out. I'm 153 pounds of solid muscle now."

Sumire (she had recovered quite a while ago) choked on her diet lemonade at the egotistical - and frankly untrue - comment. "Yeah right," she said snidely. "153 pounds of solid _idiocy_, more like."

"Well isn't that hypocritical, Shouda?" Imai asked casually as she soldered something together, resulting in a rather satisfying beeping sound. "I overheard you insisting rather forcefully to the nurse that you knew more than her about dieting when it's painfully clear that the opposite is true. Not only that, but the fact that you would continue to deny yourself the necessary nutrition even though you're already underweight is the _pure definition_ of idiocy."

A stunned silence reverberated around the tense classroom, and it rung chaotically in Natsume's ears. Is that what Imai truly thought? He supposed it would make sense, her taking the sensible, logical approach to this, as she would do any other situation...

_But on the inside, isn't she just a girl too?_


	4. Three :: A Little Treat

**I'm really beginning to regret the decision to try and simultaneously write five different fics. Alas, I will continue to do so - and here is chapter three of _Thinner_!**

**Disclaimer~**

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE :: **_**A Little Treat**_

* * *

Ruka had been standing awkwardly near the chattering group of girls for almost three minutes now, and he was starting to gain some unwanted attention. He shot nervous glares at the nosy students, who quickly turned away. _I suppose being Natsume's best friend has its benefits._

Just as he was about to simply turn on his heels and leave, someone _finally_ noticed he was waiting for a lull in conversation.

"Ruka-pyon!" Mikan cheered, grinning from ear to ear. "Do you want to eat lunch with us?"

Ordinarily, the blonde would have felt perfectly comfortable eating lunch with Mikan's female friends - they made a refreshing change from Natsume, and he was never particularly interested in the other boys' conversations, which usually switched between food, girls, cars and other masculine things.

However, Mikan's friendship group had recently expanded to include _many_ girls of all ages - some of which were still unused to his presence, and who still worshipped him as their Prince Charming, which led to many embarrassing conversations.

"What do you think, idiot?" Hotaru mumbled through a mouthful of crab. "He isn't holding any lunch."

Mikan scowled at her best friend, before turning back to the blonde boy. She tipped her head to the side in cute confusion. "Well then, what are you here for? Do you want to ask something?"

Ruka nodded tentatively. "Yes, um... I was just wondering if you'd seen Natsume."

"No..." The auburn-haired girl slowly shook her head. "I assumed he was with you."

It was Ruka's turn to shake his head. "I haven't seen him since this morning." He shrugged, attempting - in vain - to make it casual as he chuckled, "Oh well. Thanks anyway, Sakura."

The blonde teen shuffled quickly away from the suffocating atmosphere. It was painfully clear that everyone except Mikan herself had noticed Ruka's odd actions. His every action was strained with a sort of tense concern that he simply couldn't shake, and he let out an audible groan of relief as he breathed in the cool, fresh air of the outside world.

_Still_, he murmured mentally, _where on Earth could Natsume be? He's usually at his sakura tree or with Persona... but if that was the case, he would have told me._

After a good fifteen minutes of intense searching, he finally caught sight of the Black Cat apparently attempting to conceal himself in the boughs of an unfamiliar oak tree.

"Natsume...?"

Said boy flinched.

"What are you doing there? Aren't you having lunch?"

Natsume shifted into a sitting position as Ruka clambered up to join him, sparing his best friend an unreadable expression. "I felt like a change of scenery."

Ruka scoffed jokingly. "You _never_ feel like a change of scenery." His expression morphed into one more serious as he approached the topic that had felt taboo around Natsume recently. "And you never skip lunch, either. But you've skipped it three times this week."

There was no reply - or even a sign of acknowledgement - from the red-eyed teen, and Ruka decided to push the subject further. "I know you're not ill, so it can't be that. So why?"

"Wasn't hungry." Natsume punctuated the blunt reply with a shrug.

"I don't believe you."

An uncomfortable silence ensued, and despite Ruka's best effort to obtain eye contact, Natsume kept his face stubbornly turned away.

The sound of Ruka's troubled sigh permeated the tense air surrounding the duo, and he dropped from the branch with a little difficultly. After a less-than-graceful landing, Ruka stared intensely at his best friend, worry evident in his expression. "If you decide you want to tell me what's going on, I'm always available to listen."

Natsume showed no acknowledgement, though his lethargic sigh told Ruka he'd heard.

"Ruka-pyon!"

The friendly echo pulled Ruka's attention from the black-haired boy, who retreated further into the dark shade of the tree and out of sight.

"Sakura?" Ruka asked, bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

Mikan beamed. "I finished my lunch and Hotaru told me to go away because I was annoying her-" she pouted childishly- "so I came to talk to you instead." The auburn-haired girl cocked her head cutely in mild concern. "Are you okay, Ruka-pyon? You look worried. And confused."

"U-Uh-" Ruka swallowed. "I'm fine, just a little..."

"Lost?" Mikan laughed, her pigtails bobbing up and down energetically.

Ruka chuckled nervously as he realised he'd been so enraptured in finding Natsume that he'd wandered into the middle school grounds and was, as Mikan had helpfully pointed out, totally and utterly lost.

There was a light tug on his sleeve, and Ruka's eyes met Mikan's beaming brown irises. "Come on, I'll show you the way back."

Ruka smiled in return, silently thanking the heavens that she hadn't spotted Natsume and riled him up further.

Somewhere along the journey, he asked quietly, gaze fixed to the semi-overcast sky above them, "Have you noticed anything odd about Natsume recently?"

Mikan's expression was one of surprise. "About Natsume...? Odd...?" She smirked, a sight so rarely seen that Ruka was rather taken aback. "He's _always_ odd. Weird. Stupid. And a _total pervert._"

Ruka was about to sigh, caught up again between his two friends who hated each other, but Mikan suddenly turned uncharacteristically serious.

"He's been... quiet as of late - not that he isn't normally silent and brooding, mind you," she added under her breath, "and he's said some really weird stuff lately," the brunette mused, brow fractionally furrowed as she remembered the bizarre question he'd asked at Anna's sleepover two weeks previously. "Like yesterday, we were in the middle of an argument, and then suddenly he just... dropped it, as if we'd never even spoken in the first place. And no matter how many times I called him stupid he just stared at the blackboard with this weird expression on his face. It was so strange. He looked almost... Worried? Troubled? I couldn't really tell."

Mikan shrugged as she crossed her arms nonchalantly, seemingly oblivious to the look of wonder she was receiving from the taller boy at her unexpected insight.

_I didn't realise she paid that much attention to Natsume,_ Ruka thought in surprise.

"Still..." Mikan mumbled as her intensely fiery gaze burned holes in the ground at her feet. She was rambling, now appearing to have completely forgotten the blonde's presence. "I am worried about him. Usually he's much more energetic, and always thinks of these really insulting, snide remarks to say to me, but he hasn't insulted me at all recently. In fact, he hasn't really acknowledged me at all, which bugs me. Like he's too lost in his own thoughts to notice anything around him. It's disturbing, and so not like Natsume at all."

Ruka nodded in agreement. "There's definitely something suspicious going on."

"Mm-hm, definitely."

A comfortable silence full of Natsume-filled thoughts ensued, and before the pair realised it they were back at the elementary block.

"What class do we have next, anyway?" Ruka idly inquired, glancing at his watch. _Damn, we're late._

Mikan grinned, bubbling with determination at the prospect of her favourite (though worst) lesson. "Home Ec."

* * *

"Phew." The lanky blonde blew out a sigh of relief as he wiped stray icing off his cheek with the back of his flour-coated hand. Unfortunately, the gesture only made the situation worse.

"Uwaah, Ruka-kun," the twins chorused, hands clasped over their hearts dramatically as they oogled the sight of his professional-looking iced cupcakes.

"They look so pretty!" Anna squealed. "And they don't move around creepily like mine do."

Nonoko sighed, lamenting, "I almost don't want to eat them."

Ruka flushed, a little embarrassed at the attention he was drawing. "They're not that great..."

"What are you saying, Ruka-pyon?" Mikan shrieked, looking unreasonably offended at his modest remark. "Those cupcakes are _amazing_! Look at mine!" She thrust at him a tray of strangely oblong, rust-coloured objects, hot pink frosting littering most of the baking tray but alas, not much of the cakes themselves.

"Well, they're..." Ruka paused heavily as he considered what positive elements there were to her cooking, but as the silence dragged on, he tactfully changed the subject. "Eh? Look, Natsume's giving away his cupcakes."

Three brightly-coloured heads turned in the direction Ruka's slim finger was pointing, and sure enough, Natsume was leaning against the counter (dusted cutely in flour and icing sugar), his latest manga clasped in dirty hands, totally indifferent to the fact that his cupcakes were gradually decreasing in number as more and more students claimed one for their own.

"I'm not sure that counts as giving them away," Anna giggled nervously. "It looks more like everyone's stealing Natsume-kun's cupcakes while he's occupied with something else."

But Mikan was already striding away, not even attempting to appear subtle as she helped herself to a rather aesthetically pleasing (though not as nice as his best friend's) white-frosted cupcake.

"Mikan-chan..." Anna and Nonoko sighed in sync.

The auburn-haired teen even had the audacity to eat the cake _in front of Natsume_ while trying to read his manga over his shoulder.

Natsume had - of course - noticed, and quickly snatched the manga away from her curious eyes. His own crimson orbs narrowed slightly as he spotted the cake in her hands, but it seemed she was thoroughly enjoying it, so he didn't bother berating her.

"Hey, Natsume, this is actually really good," Mikan commented, eyes round with pleasant surprise as she eyed the treat in her hand.

_Why are you surprised? _Natsume thought irritably as he shot her a dirty look. _Though I'm glad you like it._

Koko suddenly burst out in noisy laughter, causing most occupants of the room to flinch in shock and confusion.

Their expressions grew even more alarmed as Koko's hair spontaneously combusted and flames sprouted from his muddy-blonde head, his cries of laughter morphing into cries of pain.

Natsume gave a small, satisfied smirk.

"Oh." The brunette blinked in surprise, her slim fingers paused hesitantly over the last remaining cupcake.

"What?" Natsume asked gruffly, his eyes never leaving the pages in his hands.

Mikan cast him a glance. "Well, you were the one who made the cakes, Natsume, and you haven't even had a chance to taste them yourself... Is it okay if I have the last one?"

The jet-haired teen snorted mockingly at her gluttony, and Mikan silently popped a vein. He shrugged dismissively. "Help yourself. I'm not hungry."

* * *

A deep _boom_ sounded as the Leaning Tower of Hardback Books was dumped on the desk.

"You want to borrow _all_ of these?" the librarian asked skeptically. Not _once_ had she seen Natsume Hyuuga in her library, and the only time he _does_ appear is to take out half a bookshelf. At his gruff nod, she repeated, "If you take them out all at once you'll have to read them all within two weeks."

"I know," the teen grumbled. He wasn't _stupid_.

"Okay," the librarian said with an air of resignation as she began to stamp the heavy tomes. "If you insist."

_Perhaps_, Natsume grudgingly admitted ten minutes later on the agonising journey back to his dorm room, _the woman was right about borrowing all these books at the same time._ He dropped them carelessly beside him as he collapsed mid-stride in the deserted corridor, dragging in deep and gritty breaths from the over-exerting exercise. _These must weigh a ton._

A half hour later he was successfully back to his room, arms aching and palms red and sore.

He painstakingly counted them out on his bed - eleven hardbacks, four paperbacks and a magazine, ranging in size from seventy to five hundred words.

All on healthy living.

Some were exercise-focused, others diet-focused; a couple were even on psychological health. If Natsume was going to do this, he was going to put all his effort into it. He was an all-or-nothing kind of person, after all.

He threw himself lazily onto his queen-sized mattress, careful not to land on a book, and picked up a volume at random. He cast an considering glance at the title - _'Get Fit in Fifty Days'_ - before turning the first page with determination and beginning his task.

_I am going to be healthy._

* * *

"So?" the blonde teen prompted encouragingly from Natsume's left.

Natsume rested his gaze on the questioning azure irises, unconsciously slouching further into the wooden bench as if he wished it would eat him up. "What?" he muttered gruffly, stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets against the chilly autumn breeze.

"_So_," Ruka emphasised, "why did you want to go to Central Town with me today?"

Natsume shrugged, huffing slightly and marvelling as his cloudy breath swirled, dragon-like, in the air in front of him. "Felt like it, I guess."

There was a quiet chuckle from beside him, and Natsume looked up. Ruka had a fond smile on his pale face. "I don't think I'll ever fully understand you. You've been avoiding me for a week and now suddenly you want to spend time with me." The words sounded a little harsh to Natsume's ears and he cringed as he realised their truth, though his best friend seemed unfazed.

"Sorry."

Ruka shook his head cheerfully. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure there was a reason."

A small smile played on Natsume's lips. _What the hell'd I do to deserve a friend like this?_

"It's getting quite cold," Ruka commented, and Natsume noticed he was shivering. "Can we walk about a bit?"

"Sure."

The pair stood, and their legs worked mechanically as they wandered the quiet streets without aim. It was that time of year where it was cold enough to keep people home but not close enough to the Christmas rush to lure them outside.

Ruka nuzzled his face into his woolen coat as they passed a jewellery shop, to which the boys paid no heed. "Oh thank God," the blonde murmured a minute later. "Look, there's a coffee shop."

Before Natsume could verbalise his objection, Ruka was through the door, and he sighed as he trailed after his impulsive best friend.

A wave of warm bread and cakes and sugary lattes wafted gently into his nose upon entry. He could feel his mouth watering almost immediately - he hadn't eaten since that veggie roll he had after class - but tried his best to resist the temptation in fear of devouring the entire shop.

"Here," Ruka called from across the shop, pointing at a cozy little wooden table in the corner, right next to the radiator. Natsume obliged, though he was quickly forced to abandon his jacket upon arrival from the thick waves of stifling heat emanating from the machine.

They had been sitting for less than a minute before a petite waitress approached them and offered them a menu. Ruka all but snatched it out of her hand with an eager 'thanks' and was scouring the list within seconds. The waitress giggled at his antics before placing another menu on Natsume's table as he refused to take it.

"Ah, these all sound so good..." Ruka murmured, eyes wide and torn as he eyed several different dishes and treats. He sighed plaintively. "But I don't have any money."

Natsume smirked a little as he dog-eared the corner of his menu. "You sound like Polka."

The blonde blinked, flushing slightly as he chuckled in agreement. He turned back to the brown menu with narrowed eyes.

"Order what you want," Natsume muttered after a brief pause. At Ruka's expression of confusion, he rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "I'll pay."

"You don't have to-" Ruka protested against his best friend's generosity, but was cut off.

"I have too much money to handle by myself," Natsume drawled, ignoring Ruka's amused expression. He added as an afterthought, "And you look about ready to eat a horse." _I'd feel bad if you went hungry._

"Thanks," was the cheery reply.

Natsume grunted.

"Have you decided what you want?" the short waitress from before inquired with a beaming smile, her brunette curls bobbing enthusiastically as she spoke.

"Ah yes," Ruka started politely. "I'd like the steamed vegetable mix, a chocolate criossant, the raspberry cheesecake, the black forest gateaux, rice pudding, the fruit salad and a slice of quiche lorraine please."

The waitress's jaw hung slack as her pencil lay forgotten in her hand.

"Oh, and a latte, please. One sugar." Ruka beamed at the young girl, and Natsume almost felt sorry for her.

"R-Right away, sir," she said, obviously shocked. She turned to face the crimson-eyed teen. "And you?"

"Black coffee," he replied blankly, not making eye contact.

She nodded before scurrying away, a look of terrified amazement still glued to her face.

Natsume let out a huff of a laugh after she was out of earshot. "You really eat a lot, don't you."

"I guess," Ruka agreed, looking somewhat embarrassed.

* * *

The blonde made an uncomfortable noise in the back of his throat as he clutched the material around his stomach. "I feel ill."

"Your fault," Natsume muttered good-heartedly as they meandered around the dusky evening, walking off the meal.

Ruka sighed. "You could have stopped me."

The jet-haired boy shrugged. "You looked like you were having too much fun."

He smirked, and Ruka laughed airily. "I was."

For the rest of the gentle stroll home, neither spoke. It was a comfortable sort of silence; Natsume didn't in the least bit mind. No, in fact, he was rather grateful for the lull in conversation. He needed time to think.

_Think about what, exactly?_

The question creeped unbidden into his stream of thoughts, halting it like a dam.

He glanced down, distantly watching as his booted feet slapped the pavement rhythmically. Natsume's gaze drifted upwards, to the exposed skin between his shoes and shorts, and eyed it thoughtfully. He cast a glance at Ruka's - creamy, milky skin tinted purple from the evening light.

There was hardly a crease on his knees.

Natsume looked back again at his own knees - the flesh bunched slightly at the kneecap when his leg was straightened. He furrowed his dark brows slightly in mild annoyance.

* * *

The scarlet-eyed boy had craftily bought himself a gift while Ruka had stopped for a bathroom break on the way home. He slowly unwrapped it as he kneeled on the pristine white tiles of his en suite bathroom floor. The packaging was cast to the side, away from his conscious thoughts as he placed the set of digital scales beside the sink. He turned it on, fiddling with the settings for a few minutes before getting down to business.

He stood and stripped down to his underwear - as he'd done in the physical checkup, to make things fair - and hesitantly placed two pale feet on the machine. He avoided his reflection in front of him as he waited nervously for the result, instead closing his eyes. He'd been skipping lunch and had deliberately resisted all extra snacks and sweet foods - so surely he couldn't have put on weight...?

Natsume opened one deep crimson eye and glanced down.

_137._

* * *

**The plot thickens. Review?**


End file.
